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38-769: In the present day, the road from central Athens to Aegaleo and Chaidari (the old route to Eleusis) is called the Iera Odos after the ancient road. The sacred rites of Demeter were performed in Eleusis in Ancient Greece beginning as far back as the 15th Century BCE, according to some sources. According to the Homeric Hymns of the Archaic period, Demeter stopped at Eleusis during her quest for Persephone . The story describes how Demeter, persuaded to stay at

76-506: A goddess of health can be found within the Hippocratic oath. This oath is used by physicians in order to swear before various healing gods, one of which being Hygieia, that they would follow a code of established ethical standards of practice. Section of the translated oath from Greek to English: The worship of Hygieia was closely associated with the cult of Asclepius . While Asclepius was more directly associated with healing, Hygieia

114-403: A great height, and lay in a miserable condition, the physicians having no hope of his recovery. When Pericles was in distress about this, the goddess [Athena] appeared to him at night in a dream, and ordered a course of treatment, which he applied, and in a short time and with great ease cured the man. And upon this occasion it was that he set up a brass statue of Athena Hygieia, in the citadel near

152-442: A special bread was made from these goods as an offering to Demeter. The seventh and eighth days remain the most mysterious in the process. The initiates and their teachers would enter into Demeter's temple in Eleusis for a ritual of what was known as things said (logomena), things enacted (dromena) and things seen (deiknymena), which were all part of the mystery. It is thought that this was the time when initiates acted out portions of

190-737: Is a goddess of health ( Greek : ὑγίεια – hugieia ), cleanliness and hygiene. Her name is the source for the word " hygiene ". Hygieia is related to the Greek god of medicine, Asclepius , who is the son of the Olympian god Apollo . Hygieia is most commonly referred to as a daughter of Asclepius and his wife Epione . Hygieia and her four sisters each performed a facet of Apollo 's art: Hygieia (health, cleanliness, and sanitation); Panacea (universal remedy); Iaso (recuperation from illness); Aceso (the healing process); and Aegle (radiant good health). One notable reference regarding Hygieia's role as

228-588: Is the Athletic Club Egaleo with successful departments in football ( Egaleo FC ) and basketball ( Egaleo BC ). Other amateur clubs are A.P.O. Orfeas , A.E. Egaleo City , Diagoras Dryopideon , A.P.O. Ierapolis , A.O. Cronos Γ Ethniki Champions(2 times). Aigaleo is twinned with: Hygieia Hygieia is a goddess from Greek mythology (also referred to as: Hygiea or Hygeia ; / h aɪ ˈ dʒ iː ə / ; Ancient Greek : Ὑγιεία or Ὑγεία , Latin : Hygēa or Hygīa ). Hygieia

266-699: The Agora in front of the Stoa Poikile for the proclamation by the hierophant of Demeter. The proclamation welcomed any initiate who was not morally corrupt, instructed initiates to not reveal the experiences of the rites, and told them that they must fast between sunup and sunrise during the celebration. The day then ended with a parade up to the sacred precinct of Demeter called the Eleusinion . The second day started early with initiates walking with their teachers, families, and friends to submerge themselves in

304-564: The Athens urban area , belonging to the West Athens regional administrative unit . It takes its name from Mount Aigaleo , whose name comes from the words αίγα/aiga/goat and λαός/laos/people. Its population was 65,831 at the 2021 census . Aigaleo is four km (2.5 mi) west of Athens city centre. The municipality has an area of 6.450 km (2.490 sq mi). It is southeast of Mount Aigaleo. The Cephissus river flows through

342-566: The Axis occupation of Greece , a massacre of at least 65 civilians (with estimates ranging up to 150 casualties ) by the German forces took place in Aigaleo's Agios Georgios neighborhood. During the 1950s, in collaboration with NATO , the Aigaleo's gunpowder factory began production once again. The later Greek army rearmament, however, consisted primarily of imported guns and bullets. As a result,

380-637: The Battle of Salamis and the destruction of the Persian fleet. Even after the Greek war of independence in 1821, life in the area remained largely rural and agrarian. In 1874, the gunpowder factory "Ελληνικόν Πυριτιδοποιείο"/Ellinikon Pyritidopoieio was built, transforming Aigaleo into a heavily industrial area, covered by thick smog. In the dark tunnels where the construction sites operated, explosions often occurred and workers were buried alive. After each accident

418-584: The Gallo-Roman healing goddess, Sirona . Hygieia was modified by the Romans into the goddess Valetudo, the goddess of personal health. There exists some debate about whether Hygieia can also be identified with the Roman goddess of social welfare, Salus ; however, this has yet to be fully substantiated. In August 2021, archaeologists from Dumlupınar University announced the discovery of statue of Hygieia in

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456-677: The 19th of Boedromion, was the day of the great procession along the Sacred Way from Athens to Eleusis. On this day, thousands of celebrants, led by the initiates and priests in front of them joined the Grand Procession beginning at the Sacred Gate. The procession was not a continuous affair, but involved multiple stops along the way. The first of these was at the shrine of the Sacred Son outside Athens, who would come and join

494-486: The Bay of Phaleron. This may have been seen as a physical and spiritual cleansing ceremony for the initiates. The third day was a day for sacrifices and sacred offerings. Each initiate was tasked with sacrificing a suckling pig, while the officials of the ceremony sacrificed other animals for feasts later on in the day. There's a great deal of speculation as to the origins, reasons, and even practices during this day. Some suggest

532-456: The Greek city-state Sicyon , wrote a well-known hymn during the 4th century BC which celebrated Hygieia. Statues of Hygieia were created by Scopas , Bryaxis and Timotheus , among others, but there is no clear description of what they looked like. In the surviving depictions, she is often shown as a young woman feeding a large snake that was wrapped around her body or drinking from a jar that she carried. These attributes were later adopted by

570-487: The Greek historian Pausanias remarked that a statue of Hygieia was covered by women's hair and pieces of Babylonian clothes. According to inscriptions, similar sacrifices such as this were offered at Paros . Hygieia was also associated with the Greek goddess Athena . In the 2nd century AD, Pausanias noted statues both of Hygieia and of Athena Hygieia near the entrance to the Acropolis of Athens. "Athena Hygieia"

608-537: The Greek state and transformed into a forest, greatly improving the air quality in the area. The city's present mayor is Lampros Sklavounos  [ el ] , since the 2023 Greek local elections . Aigaleo was always known for its nightlife, with numerous night clubs and bouzoukia , playing mostly Greek folk tupes of music such as Laïko and Rebetiko . Some of the greatest music artists of all time have lived and performed in Aigaleo, such as Giorgos Zampetas , Stelios Kazantzidis and Marinella . Today, although

646-598: The Mother and Daughter from the Homeric Hymns. It is also believed that this is when initiates received the epopteia, a sacred vision that was the highest stage of the initiation. Upon completion of this part of the initiation, those who had partaken went on to feel brighter hopes for the end of their lives and the rest of eternity. Finally, the initiates left the temple and walked to the Rharian Fields to invoke

684-530: The altar, which they say was there before. But it was Phidias who wrought the goddess's image in gold, and he has his name inscribed on the pedestal as the workman of it. However, the cult of Hygieia as an independent goddess did not begin to spread until the Delphic oracle recognized her, after the devastating Plague of Athens (430–427 BC), and in Rome after the 293 BC plague there. The poet Ariphron , from

722-493: The ancient times, Aigaleo was primarily used by the tribes of Athens for farming and raising animals. In particular, the town was well-known for its excellent goat meat. Cleisthenes , the Athenian statesman and lawgiver credited with creating the constitution that gave birth to the democratic regime of ancient Athens, was born in Aigaleo. According to Herodotus, it was from the top of Mount Aigaleo that, in 480BC, Xerxes observed

760-481: The blood of the suckling pig was sprinkled on the initiates for purification, while others suggest that sacrifices originally consisted of first fruits and grains, but were then discarded for animal sacrifices in protest against Athenian use of the first harvest for war taxes during the Peloponnesian War . On the fourth day, the cults of Asclepius , God of Medicine, and Hygieia , Goddess of Health, joined

798-419: The blown-up galley was permanently sealed, without even declaring the dead. In 1908, after a merger, it was upgraded to a general ammunition production factory, and the company " ΠΥΡΚΑΛ "/PYRKAL was born. PYRKAL was the first modern Greek arm manufacturing company. With the ability to produce more than 60.000 bullets per day, including heavy weapon shells, it became the primary supplier of the Greek army . After

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836-637: The celebration in Athens. Sacrifices were then held in the evening at the Eleusinion and special blessings were called upon for doctors and healers. At night, initiates participated in what could have been described as a night watch and invited divine visitation to help focus on healing of physical ailments, emotional distress, or spiritual limitations. At the end of the night, they would tell their dreams to an attendant and follow their guidance on how to perform certain actions for healing to occur. The fifth day,

874-472: The coming of the procession all around Greece. Finally, on the 13th of Boedromion, priestesses of Demeter and Persephone carried baskets of Sacred Objects, called the hiera, from Eleusis to Athens in preparation for the procession and the rites of the Greater Mysteries. On the first day of the celebration, initiates dressed in simple attire gathered with their teachers, as well as a large crowd, in

912-606: The cult of Demeter kept its rites a secret except for a chosen few, thus warranting the name the Eleusinian Mysteries . While at first the cult of Demeter remained small, it eventually grew quite large after Eleusis was incorporated into Athens during the Archaic period. After some time, it drew crowds from thousands of people around Greece, and even leaders like Peisistratos , Pericles , Hadrian , and Antoninus Pius all came to erect monuments at Eleusis. In addition,

950-399: The factory began producing less and less. During the 1970s the production was almost non-existent, consisting mainly of small amounts of hunting shells. After the passage of new legislation prohibiting the existence of factories within the limits of urban areas, Aigaleo's factory was declared illegal. The factory was finally moved to Elefsina in 1974. The old factory's area was later sold to

988-521: The fall of Smyrna in 1922 during the Turkish War of Independence , Aigaleo's population greatly increased due to the settlement of refugees, mainly from the shores of Asia Minor , Assyria and Pontus , and became a major center for Assyrians in Greece . Also, a great number of refugees specifically from the town of Kydonies (Greek: Κυδωνίες), now known as Ayvalık . This led to a name dispute between

1026-406: The industrialized eastern part of the municipality; about 1/4 of its area is taken up by factory developments. The town is served by two Metro stations: Egaleo and Agia Marina metro stations. The A1 motorway (Athens–Thessaloniki–Evzonoi) passes through the town. Aigaleo consists of the quarters Kato Aigaleo, Neo Aigaleo, Damarakia, Lioumi, Rosika, Agios Spyridonas and Agios Georgios. During

1064-517: The initiates to signal Demeter. Festivities on day six began in the evening with the Pannychis , a nightlong revelry where women with torches danced around the well of beautiful dances, known as the Kallichoron, in Eleusis. One of the celebrations, the kernophoria involved all of the celebrants, who were led by women dancing with kernos, a vessel on their head, filled with first fruits. Likely,

1102-555: The large nightclubs of the past are mostly gone, the area is still known for its nightlife, mostly for its taverns, serving wine and rakia. At some point, the town was known to have more than twenty cinemas. Out of those, only a couple remain operative to this day. The town also have the open theatre "Alexis Minotis" inside the forest. The town also operates the cultural centre "Elliniko Molybi"(the Greek pencil), that promotes local young artists, also teaching literature and theatre writing. Aigaleo hosts many sport teams. The most successful

1140-473: The lead of the parade. They would then stop at the Cephissus River where kids in the procession would offer a lock of hair before moving on to the temple precinct at Daphni and the sanctuary of Aphrodite nearby. Finally, at the border between Athens and Eleusis, descendants of Krokos, the first settler of Eleusis, would meet the procession and tied yellow strands to the right wrists and left ankles of

1178-540: The palace of Eleusis by its prince, Celeus , was given the task of raising Celeus's son Demophon . When she is discovered to be a Goddess by the queen Metaneira after trying in vain to make Demophon immortal, she instructed the Eluesinians to build a temple for her. Upon later finding Persephone, she taught the leaders of Eleusis how to perform her rites. Unlike many of the cults in the Ancient Greek world,

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1216-641: The procession along the Sacred Way. The initiation began at the beginning of spring with instruction on the Lesser Mysteries , which mostly celebrated the arrival of spring and allowed for initiates to atone themselves in preparation for the Greater Mysteries later on in the fall. After these preliminary steps, and one month before the procession in Boedromion, special messengers, called the spondophoroi, were sent out from Eleusis to herald

1254-403: The rebirth of the crops. The ninth and final day was the day initiates returned home. It was also the day for libations to be offered, it is unclear to whom. Some think that they were offered to the dead. Aegaleo Aigaleo or Egaleo ( Greek : Αιγάλεω , romanized :  Aigáleo pronounced [eˈɣaleo] ) is a town and a suburban municipality in the western part of

1292-518: The refugees and the locals, with the former calling the area "Nees(New) Kydonies" and the latter calling the area "Mparoutadiko"("Gunpowdery", from the Turkish word barut). Eventually the name dispute was settled, with both agreeing on calling the area by its ancient name, Aigaleo. Aigaleo was a part of the municipality of Athens until 1934, when it became a separate community. It was raised to municipality status in 1943. On September 29, 1944, during

1330-563: The rites became so important to the Greeks that until Roman rule, the Sacred Way remained the only road in central Greece. Although the cult of Demeter kept information about its rites a secret only to those in the cult, the cult itself was open to a wide array of people. Initiates could be young or old, male or female, even slave or free. The only requirement, it seems, is that initiates could not have any sort of un-atoned bloodguilt on their hands. The process for initiates began six months before

1368-614: The two figures, the incorporation of Hygieia within the cult of Asclepius can also be seen in medical iconography on numerous ancient Graeco - Roman coins . The close association between Hygieia and Asclepius indicates the important place she held in the cult of Asclepius. Hygieia's primary temples were in Epidaurus , Corinth , Cos and Pergamon . At the Asclepeion of Titane in Sicyon (founded by Alexanor , Asclepius' grandson),

1406-430: Was associated with the prevention of sickness and the continuation of good health. In the second century CE, the famous traveler Pausanias provided an account based on what he witnessed within the state of Greece. In his encyclopedic text Description of Greece , written circa 160 CE to 174 CE, Pausanias described encountering statues of Asclepius and Hygieia, located at Tegea . In addition to statues which represent

1444-461: Was one of the cult titles given to Athena , as Plutarch recounts of the building of the Parthenon (447–432 BC): A strange accident happened in the course of building, which showed that the goddess was not averse to the work, but was aiding and co-operating to bring it to perfection. One of the artificers, the quickest and the handiest workman among them all, with a slip of his foot fell down from

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